These 13 British Shows on Netflix Will Have You Saying “Innit” in No Time
Already watched every episode of Great British Bake-Off and looking for something distinctly English to perk up your afternoon tea binge-fest? I don’t actually think that’s a thing, but let me tell you, there are so many incredible British shows on Netflix right now. From cottagecore to series about messy teenagers, watching them will leave you chuffed to bits.
Figuring out which British television shows are actually good can get a little tricky. How many stories about bumbling men and women solving murders in sleepy country towns do they make across the pond?! Let this list help inspire you and point you in the right direction.
Merlin
Were you not really a fantasy person until Game of Thrones? Allow me to suggest this goofy BBC adaptation of the King Arthur legend as your next series. It’s about friendship with just the occasional dash of betrayal—making Camelot much less stressful than Westeros.
Crashing
Before Fleabag, Phoebe Waller-Bridge shook the Manic Pixie Dream Girl out of her system with Crashing. That sounds like a dig, but it’s actually a very sweet and genuine series about (mostly) millennials living in a shared community.
Peaky Blinders
Hot take: The only people who watch this show are those who (1) are in a relationship and (2) like to go to bed at 9 p.m. I will not be discussing this take further, but if those two things apply to you, you should check out this show. It’s about the aftermath of the Great War, but I wouldn’t know because I am both single and cool.
Skins
This young adult series got a rep for being edgy and a bit too “adult” for prudish parents…but it genuinely rules. It’s a social satire that launched talent like Nicholas Hoult, Dev Patel, Joe Dempsie, Hannah Murray, Kaya Scodelario, and Daniel Kaluuya—who also wrote two episodes!
Sherlock
I’ve cooled on Sherlock over the years, but it is important to remember and respect why Benedict Cumberbatch has so many fangirls in the first place.
Lovesick
Imagine if How I Met Your Mother didn’t break your heart. That’s Lovesick. The show is about a guy who has an existential crisis about love while contacting all of his previous sexual partners to inform them he has chlamydia. It used to be called Scrotal Recall, but people were weak thought that was unappealing.
Black Mirror
This show is required viewing just so you can roll your eyes and say “this is just like Black Mirror” every time something weird happens in the news. Each episode stands alone, too, so you can totally watch them in whatever order you want/smash the “next” button if things get too freaky.
The Worst Witch
Looking for an alternative tale of students studying witchcraft in a hidden castle? Check out this stress-free, absolutely adorable series with low-stakes magical problems. Also, the show stars Bella Ramsey, who played the formidable Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones.
Sex Education
While the Netflix series gives off ’80s American high school vibes, it’s progressive AF and still very British at the core. Come for the teen drama and stay for Gillian Anderson’s fabulous jumpsuits.
The End of the F**king World
A dark comedy about two kids who run away together, may or may not have plans to kill each other, and end up falling in love? I’ll allow it.
The Crown
There are few things more British than this deep dive into the royal family that spans decades. The show already switched up the cast once in order to do a big time jump and somehow managed to pull that off. Get ready to have a lot of feelings about royals you maybe didn’t care about before!
Bodyguard
Let’s face it, the main reason to watch this show is Richard Madden, who smolders a lot, says “ma’am” a lot (but if you’re American, you will think he’s saying “mum”), and attempts to crack a terrorist plot in this stressful (but good) series!
Crazyhead
If you’re the type of Anglophile who got way into Misfits in the late ’00s, you’ll love Crazyhead because it comes from the same creator. It’s about two girls who become friends while hunting demons…but in a wry way? It’s like Buffy the Vampire Slayer with British humor.
You Might Also Like
